37 Aydın, F. & Sağdıç, M. (2016). Department of Geography Senior Students’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs Regarding Geography, International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences, Vol: 7, Issue: 23, pp. (37-49)
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY SENIOR STUDENTS’ SELF-EFFICACY BELIEFS REGARDING GEOGRAPHY
Fatih AYDIN
Doç. Dr., Karabük Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Coğrafya Bölümü, fatihaydin@karabuk.edu.tr
Mustafa SAĞDIÇ
Doç. Dr., Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi İlköğretim Bölümü, msagdic@yildiz.edu.tr
Received: 12.04.2016 Accepted: 13.06.2016
ABSTRACT
In this study, the self-efficacy beliefs of final year students in the department of geography have been analysed in terms of different variables. 90 senior class students studying at Karabuk University Faculty of Arts in Turkey, the department of geography in the 2014-2015 academic year participated in the study. The screening model was implemented. The self-efficacy belief scale related to geography” developed by Karadeniz (2005) was used as data collection tool. The scale consists of three subscales and totally 19 items. To analyse the data, in addition to the descriptive statistics, t- test and one-way analysis of variance were used. According to the obtained results, it was determined that Senior students of department of Geography self- efficacy scores level on Geography department was significantly different in the context of gender. There was no statistically significant difference according to learning level.
Keywords: Geography, self-efficacy, department of geography.
COĞRAFYA BÖLÜMÜ SON SINIF ÖĞRENCİLERİNİN COĞRAFYA ALANINA YÖNELİK ÖZ YETERLİK İNANÇLARI
ÖZ
Bu çalışmada coğrafya bölümü öğrencilerinin coğrafya alanına ilişkin öz yeterlik inançları çeşitli değişkenler açısından analiz edilmiştir. Araştırmaya 2014-2015 eğitim-öğretim yılında Karabük Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Coğrafya Bölümünün son sınıfında öğrenim gören 90 öğrenci katılmıştır. Tarama modelindeki bu araştırmada veri toplama aracı olarak Karadeniz (2005) tarafından geliştirilen “coğrafya alanına ilişkin öz yeterlik inancı ölçeği” kullanılmıştır. Ölçek üç alt boyuttan ve 19 maddeden oluşmaktadır. Verilerin analizinde betimsel istatistiklerin yanında t- testi ve tek yönlü varyans analizi (ANOVA) kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlara göre, coğrafya bölümü öğrencilerinin coğrafya alanına yönelik öz-yeterlik puanlarının orta düzeyde olduğu belirlenmiştir. Çalışmaya katılan coğrafya bölümü öğrencilerinin coğrafya alanına yönelik özyeterlik seviyeleri “cinsiyet” değişkenine göre anlamlı bir farklılık gösterirken, “öğrenim türü”
değişkenine göre istatistiksel olarak bir fark tespit edilmemiştir.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Coğrafya, öz yeterlik, coğrafya bölümü.
A part of this study are presented in the proceedings of the Multidisciplinary Academic Conference on Education, Teaching and Learning in Prague, Czech Republic, December 4-6, 2015.
38 Aydın, F. & Sağdıç, M. (2016). Department of Geography Senior Students’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs Regarding Geography, International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences, Vol: 7, Issue: 23, pp. (37-49) 1. INTRODUCTION
Self-efficacy is one of the crucial concepts that Bandura (1977) believes to have an influence on behavior and underlined in the Social Learning Theory. Self-efficacy refers to the belief of an individual to have the skills, attitudes and knowledge required for being able to execute a duty or a behavior (Bandura, 1994). Self-efficacy was also defined as the belief of an individual to be having strategies that are effective under difficult conditions (Boulton, 2014). In other words, the perception of self-efficacy asserts that individuals need to be self-confident in the related field (Pajares, 2002).
The belief of self-efficacy is a belief that changes and develops in time through experiences. The successful and unsuccessful experiences of an individual shapes their self-efficacy beliefs. In addition, they can also be influenced by the experiences of other people. Self-efficacy perceptions of individuals can change when they observe their peers or colleagues. They can compare themselves with the people they observe and shape their perceptions. Other people’s advices and encouragements can influence self-efficacy belief to different extents.
The emotional state of an individual about succeeding or failing in a situation is also crucial (Bandura, 1994;
Lee, 2005; Chen et al., 2004). Thus, self-efficacy is affected by the environment, experiences and emotional characteristics of an individual. In general terms, it can be said that the belief of self-efficacy is influenced by the individuals motivation, feelings, thoughts and behaviors (Uysal and Kosemen, 2013).
Individuals’ perceptions about their academic competences helps them determine what they can do with the experiences and skills they acquire. Individuals’ perceptions about their capacities are shaped according to what they accomplish with their knowledge and skills (Cubukcu and Girmen, 2005: 420). Because self-efficacy is based on perceptions about certain behaviors, it is believed that its structure is related to a special or a specific field. For example, an individual can have a high level of self-efficacy perception in one field and a low level of self-efficacy perception in another field. Thus, the concept of self-efficacy in social psychology is observed to be practicable in different fields (Demiralay and Karadeniz, 2010). For example, map self-efficacy perception, internet literacy self-efficacy perception, mathematics self-efficacy perception etc. Researches on teacher self- efficacy have become widespread among the studies conducted about self-efficacy. Teacher self-efficacy has been the subject of many international studies (SvenjaVieluf et al.,2013). Also, teacher self-efficacy has its unique conditions (Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy, 2007; Olli-Pekka Malinen, 2013). Thus, teachers are expected to be sufficient on issues like outer-school activities, near and far land practices. Multicultural education practices have become more important due to globalization, global cities and the increases in interaction between multicultural social structures and other cultures, people and countries and new educational needs have become necessary. Population growth, environmental problems and technological developments have forced teachers to adapt to many more changes.
When the related literature is examined, it can be observed that there are few self-efficacy studies on the field of geography. Some of these studies are researches on developing scales. A self-efficacy scale about pre-service social sciences teachers’ beliefs on geography has been developed by Karadeniz (2005). Geography teaching
39 Aydın, F. & Sağdıç, M. (2016). Department of Geography Senior Students’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs Regarding Geography, International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences, Vol: 7, Issue: 23, pp. (37-49) self-efficacy scale was introduced on a study conducted by Karadeniz and Saru (2011). There are also studies aiming at developing scales on different geography skills. Ozturk (2008) developed a self-efficacy scale related to using the travel-observation technique in geography education. Bozdogaz and Ozturk (2008) developed a self-efficacy belief scale on teaching science subjects related to geography. Some of the geography self-efficacy studies have been conducted on pre-service social sciences teachers. In their study conducted on pre-service social sciences teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs about the field of geography, Karadeniz and Ozdemir (2006) stated that; pre-service social sciences teachers found themselves to be moderately sufficient in the field of geography. Coskun (2007) conducted a study on pre-service social sciences teachers in Erzurum about their self-efficacy levels on geography according to various variables, and found that the pre-service teachers’ self- efficacy levels were at a moderate level and could be improved. Gecit and Beldag (2014) received similar results in their study on social sciences teachers’ self-efficacy levels on the field of geography. This study was conducted in order to determine the self-efficacy levels on the field of geography of pre-service social sciences teachers who are receiving pedagogical formation training. In addition, whether the geography self-efficacy levels of students in the department of geography differ according to the gender and education type variables were determined in this study.
Answers for the following questions according to the primary purpose of the study were sought:
1. What are the geography department students’ opinions about the self-efficacy scale on the field of geography?
2. Do the self-efficacy beliefs of geography department students’ on the field of geography differ significantly according to the gender and education type variables?
2. METHOD
2 .1. Research Design
This study, which aims at determining self-efficacy levels of senior geography department students on the field of geography, is designed with the screening model which describes a past or present situation the way it is.
2. 2. Study Group
The study group consists of senior students studying in Karabuk University, Faculty of Arts and Department of Geography during the 2014-2015 academic year fall semester. Some of the information about the students participating in the study are given in Table 1.
Table 1. Personal Information Of Geography Department Students Participating In The Study.
Variables Personal Information Number of Students (n=90) Percentage (100%)
Gender Male 56 62.2
Female 34 37.8
Type of Education Daytime Education 48 53.3
Evening Education 42 46.7
40 Aydın, F. & Sağdıç, M. (2016). Department of Geography Senior Students’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs Regarding Geography, International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences, Vol: 7, Issue: 23, pp. (37-49) It is evident on Table 1 that 62.2% (n=56) of the geography department students participating in the study are male and 37.8% (n=34) are female. 48 of the participant students receive daytime education and 42 receive evening education.
2. 3. Data Collection Instrument:
The “Self-efficacy Scale on the Field of Geography” was used for collecting the data. The scale introduced by Karadeniz (2005) consists of three sub-scales. Turning geography into life skills sub-scale refers to the individual's ability to master his or her geography knowledge throughout life. Geography self-perception sub- scale refers to the individual evaluating himself and to the state of self-confidence in the field of geography.
Awareness in behaviors in the field of geography sub-scale refers to the individual assessing his or her behavioral competences in the field of Geography. Whether students agreed with the self-efficacy belief statements were evaluated with the 5 point rating scale as; always, usually, sometimes, rarely and never.
Because the scale was subject to validity tests by Karadeniz (2005) during the scale development process, it wasn’t found necessary in this study. The Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient was .80 during the scale development process.
2. 4. Data Collection and Analysis
The implementation was carried out according on a voluntary basis and completed in almost 10 minutes.
Frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation values were used in the analysis of the scale points of geography department students’ self efficacies on the field of geography. Whether geography department students’ self-efficacy beliefs on the field of geography differ significantly according to the “gender” and
“education type” variable was determined with the “Independent Samples t-test”. While scoring each of the answers that the students gave, each positive item was graded as 5 points for always, 4 points for usually, 3 points for sometimes, 2 points for rarely and 1 point for the never option. The same process was conducted reversely on each negative item and the grading process was completed. Thus, the maximum score that could be gained from this scale was expected to be 95 and the minimum score 19. In grading the self-efficacy beliefs, 59 and below scores were accepted as low, score between 60 and 82 were moderate and 83 and above were high.
3. FINDINGS
3. 1. Geography department students’ self-efficacy levels on the field of geography
Information of geography department students’ self-efficacy scores on the field of geography are given in Table 2.
Table 2. Geography Department Students’ Self-Efficacy Scores On The Field Of Geography
N SS Minimum Score Maximum Score
90 74.566 6.939 50.00 88.00
41 Aydın, F. & Sağdıç, M. (2016). Department of Geography Senior Students’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs Regarding Geography, International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences, Vol: 7, Issue: 23, pp. (37-49) The lowest score was 50 and the highest score was 82 as a result of the analysis carried out on the data of the research. Mean scores of the geography department students’ self-efficacy levels on the field of geography were determined as =74.56. According to this finding, geography department students have a moderate level of self-efficacy on the field of geography.
3. 2. Analysis of geography department students’ self-efficacy levels on the field of geography regarding the sub-dimensions
Geography department students’ self-efficacy scores on the field of geography regarding the sub-dimensions are given in Table 3.
Table 3. Self-Efficacy Scores Regarding The Sub-Dimensions Of The Data Collection Instrument
Dimension N SS Min. Score Max. Score
Turning geography into life skills 90 32.688 3.63 24 40
Geography self-perception 90 15.833 2.44 6 20
Awareness in behaviors in the field of geography
90 30.166 3.02 21 37
According to Table 3.; the mean of geography department students for the “turning geography into life skills”
sub-dimension is =32.68, it is =15.83 for the “geography self-perception” sub-dimension and =30.16 for the “awareness in behaviors in the field of geography” sub-dimension.
3. 2. 1. Turning geography into life skills sub-dimension
Opinions of geography department students regarding the turning geography into life skills sub-dimension are given in Table 4.
Table 4. Opinions of geography department students on turning geography into life skills.
O
Statements in the Scale
Always Usually Sometime s Rarely Neve
r
f % f % f % f % f %
1 I can effectively teach my geography knowledge to others.
29 32.2 46 51.1 14 15.6 1 1.1 - - 2 I can make geographical predictions with my
geography knowledge.
29 32.2 48 53.3 12 13.3 1 1.1 - - 3 I can evaluate my environment in a social-
cultural and economical view with my geography knowledge.
37 41.1 44 48.9 8 8.9 1 1.1 - -
4 I can show geographical information on maps.
33 36.7 43 47.8 12 13.3 2 2.2 - - 5 I know how to act when I encounter a new
situation related to geography.
22 24.4 38 42.2 29 32.2 1 1.1 - - 6 I believe that I have a sufficient geographical
view point.
14 15.6 52 57.8 19 21.1 3 3.3 2 2.2 7 I can interpret graphics and tables about
geography subjects.
38 42.2 36 40.0 13 14.4 3 3.3 - - 8 I believe I can effectively carry out my
geography knowledge in my daily life.
25 27.8 42 46.7 18 20.0 5 5.5 - -
42 Aydın, F. & Sağdıç, M. (2016). Department of Geography Senior Students’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs Regarding Geography, International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences, Vol: 7, Issue: 23, pp. (37-49) According to the results of the turning geography into life skills sub-dimensions, the lowest score is 24 and the highest score is 40. The mean of this sub-dimension is =32.68. The item which received the most positive answers for this sub-dimension was “I can evaluate my environment in a social-cultural and economical view with my geography knowledge”. Only 1 student gave a negative opinion (rarely/never) for this item and 81 students, in other words 90% of the students, gave positive opinions (usually/always) for this item. For the 1.
item, 83.3% (n=75) of the students, 85.5% (n=77) of the students for the 2. item, 84.5% (n=76) of the students for the 4. item and 82.2% (n=74) of the students for the 7. item gave positive opinions With regards to this dimension, the item which received the least positive opinions and which was sometimes marked the most was the “I know how to act when I encounter a new situation related to geography,” statement. While almost 66.7%
of the students gave positive opinions, almost 32.2% (n=29) of the students marked the sometimes option.
3. 2. 2. Geography self-perception sub-dimension
Geography department student’s opinions on the geography self-perception sub-dimension are given in Table 5.
Table 5. Results Regarding Geography Department Students Opinions On The Geography Self-Perception Dimension
Statements in the Scale
Always Usually Sometime s Rarely Neve
r
f % f % f % f % f %
9 I believe that I am furnished with sufficient geographical knowledge to assist me after I complete my education.
12 13.3 50 55.6 17 18.9 8 8.9 3 3.3
10 I feel myself more adaptable with the natural life thanks to my geographical knowledge.
28 31.1 39 43.3 16 17.8 5 5.6 2 2.2 11 I believe I can comprehend problems
regarding the atmosphere through my geography knowledge.
29 32.2 44 48.9 13 14.4 4 4.4 - -
12 If I put enough effort, I can explain every geographical event or state.
36 40.0 33 36.7 18 20.0 2 2.2 1 1.1
According to the results of the geography self-perception sub-dimension, the lowest score is 6 and the highest score is 20. The mean of this sub-dimension is =15.83. The item which received the most positive answers for this sub-dimension was “I believe I can comprehend problems regarding the atmosphere through my geography knowledge. ”Only 4 students gave a negative opinion for this item and 73 students (% 81.1) gave positive opinions for this item. The item which received the most negative opinions for this dimension was, “I believe that I am furnished with sufficient geographical knowledge to assist me after I complete my education.”
It is obvious that the number of positive opinions for this item, which almost 12.2% (n=11) of the students gave negative opinions and 17% marked the sometimes option, are less (68.6%) than the other three items. Thus, a
43 Aydın, F. & Sağdıç, M. (2016). Department of Geography Senior Students’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs Regarding Geography, International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences, Vol: 7, Issue: 23, pp. (37-49) certain proportion of the geography department students believe they are not furnished with a sufficient amount of geographical knowledge for their professional life.
3. 2. 3. Awareness in behaviors in the field of geography sub-dimension
Geography department students opinions on the awareness in behaviors in the field of geography sub- dimension are given in Table 6.
Table 6. Results of the geography department students opinions on the awareness in behaviors in the field of geography sub-dimension
o Statements in the Scale
Always Usually Sometime s Rarely Neve
r
f % f % f % f % f %
13 I believe that I cannot fully learn geographical terms.
6 6.7 13 14.4 36 40.0 28 31.1 7 7.8 14 I cannot connect geographical terms I learn
with real life events.
5 5.6 9 10.0 17 18.9 42 46.7 17 18.9 15 I cannot analyze Geographical items on maps. 1 1.1 4 4.4 19 21.1 38 42.2 28 31.1 16 I don’t think I can conduct a research in the
field of geography.
1 1.1 7 7.8 9 10.0 28 31.1 45 50.0 17 I do not know necessary methods that will
effectively teach geographical terms.
1 1.1 6 6.7 12 13.3 45 50.0 26 28.9 18 I cannot explain geographical information on
tables and graphics.
- - 5 5.6 6 6.7 33 36.7 46 51.1 19 I believe that geography is not a suitable hobby
for me.
3 3.3 4 4.4 9 10.0 16 17.8 58 64.4
It is observed that student opinions were focused on “rarely” and “never” regarding the awareness in behaviors in the field of geography sub-dimension, which was created by putting the seven items together.
Among the seven items that the students answered in this scale, a significant accumulation was observed in two items. Senior Geography department students responded to the item with the statement “I cannot connect geographical terms I learn with real life events.” as rarely and never with a rate of almost 65.6% (59 students). One other item in which a significant accumulation was observed was the item including the statement, “I do not know necessary methods that will effectively teach geographical terms”. 78.9% (71 students) of the students responded to this item as rarely or never.
3. Geography department students’ self-efficacy levels on the field of geography regarding the “gender”
variable
Whether there is a significant difference between geography department students’ self-efficacy levels on the field of geography regarding the gender variable was determined with the independent sample t-test and the results are given in Table 7.
44 Aydın, F. & Sağdıç, M. (2016). Department of Geography Senior Students’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs Regarding Geography, International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences, Vol: 7, Issue: 23, pp. (37-49) Table 7. Comparison Of Geography Department Students’ Self-Efficacy Levels On The Field Of Geography
Regarding The “Gender” Variable
Variable n SS Sd t p
Male 56 73.392 7.322
88 -2.098 0.039*
Female 34 76.500 5.858
*p<0,05
A significant difference was observed between participant geography students’ genders and their self-efficacy levels on the field of geography t(88)=-2,098; p<.0.05. Whether there is a significant difference between participant geography department students’ genders and the sub-dimensions of the scale are displayed on Table 8.
Table 8. Comparison of the difference between geography department students’ genders and the sub- dimensions of the scale
Sub-Dimensions of the Scale Gender n SS Sd t p
Turning geography into life skills
Male 56 32.196 3.960 88 -1.665 0.099**
Female 34 33.500 2.905
Geography self-perception Male 56 15.446 2.478 88 -1.960 0.050*
Female 34 16.470 2.272
Awareness in behaviors in the field of geography
Male 56 29.910 3.158 88 -1.032 0.305**
Female 34 30.588 2.775
*p<0.05; **p>0.05
There were no significant differences between the opinions of geography department students regarding the gender variable and the turning geography into life skills and the awareness in behaviors in the field of geography sub-dimensions. However, there was a significant difference between opinions regarding the geography self-perception dimension and the gender variable t(88)=-1,960; p<.0.05.
4. Geography department students’ self-efficacy levels on the field of geography regarding the “education type” variable
Whether there is a significant difference between geography department students’ self-efficacy levels on the field of geography regarding the education type variable was determined with the independent sample t-test and the results are given in Table 9.
Table 9. Comparison of geography department students’ self-efficacy levels on the field of geography regarding the “education type” variable
Variable n SS Sd t p
Daytime Education 48 74.104 6.182
88 -.674 0.502*
Evening Education 42 75.095 7.757
*p>0,05
The mean of participant geography department students’ self-efficacy scores who receive daytime education regarding the field of geography is =74.10 and is =75.09 for students receiving evening education.
45 Aydın, F. & Sağdıç, M. (2016). Department of Geography Senior Students’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs Regarding Geography, International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences, Vol: 7, Issue: 23, pp. (37-49) According to the t-test result; there are no significant differences between the education type variable and the self-efficacy levels on the field of geography [t(88)=-.674; p>.0.05.
4. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION
According to the results of this study, self-efficacy scores of senior geography department students on the field of geography are at a moderate level. This result is in line with the results of studies conducted on self-efficacy level in the field of geography. In studies conducted by Gecit and Beldag (2014) on 54 social sciences teachers working in Rize; by Bahtiyar Karadeniz (2011) on 164 teachers working in Ordu; by Karadeniz and Ozdemir (2006) on 184 pre-service teachers from Ondokuz Mayis University and by Coskun (2007) on 158 pre-service teachers from Erzurum, it was determined that the level of self-efficacy beliefs of participants on geography were “moderate”.
It was observed that senior geography department students’ self-efficacy perceptions on the field of geography regarding the gender variable showed no statistical significant difference. A similar result was observed in Coskun’s (2007) study, indicating that male pre-service teachers have a higher level of self-efficacy perception.
This result was suggested to be based on the fact that male pre-service teachers have a higher level of self- confidence in the field or because that female pre-service teachers approached to various far-reaching items with doubt. In a study by Akengin et al. (2010), a significant difference was detected in favor of female students, and this was linked to the fact that female students have a more positive attitude towards this profession. On the other hand, according to Gecit and Beldag (2014) and Bahtiyar Karadeniz’s (2011) study, there were no statistical significant differences between self-efficacy levels of teachers on the field of geography regarding the gender variable for the overall scale and for the sub-dimensions.
In this study, whether the education type led to a significant difference between the self-efficacy levels of senior geography department students on the field of geography was explored, and it was stated that the self- efficacy levels of students on the field of geography do not differ significantly according to the education type variable. It is also possible to state that the senior geography department students in the two groups have almost the same self-efficacy levels. A similar finding was determined from the study conducted by Coskun (2007).
The sub-dimensions of the data collection instrument of the study was also examined and an existence of several curves were detected. According to the outstanding findings; the item which received most positive responses under the turning geography into life skills sub-dimension was the item including, “I can evaluate my environment in a social-cultural and economical view with my geography knowledge” statement. Students believe that they have acquired the skills to evaluate their environment differently through the geography course they took during university. The item which received the most positive answers for the geography self- perception sub-dimension was “I believe I can comprehend problems regarding the atmosphere through my geography knowledge” item. The item which received the most negative opinions for this dimension was, “I believe that I am not furnished with sufficient geographical knowledge to assist me after I complete my
46 Aydın, F. & Sağdıç, M. (2016). Department of Geography Senior Students’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs Regarding Geography, International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences, Vol: 7, Issue: 23, pp. (37-49) education.” Thus, a certain proportion of the geography department students believe they are not furnished with a sufficient amount of geographical knowledge for their professional life. One of the outstanding opinions of geography department students regarding the awareness in behaviors in the field of geography was; “I believe that I cannot fully learn geographical terms”. 20% of the students gave responses as “always” and
“usually”; and 40% gave responses as “sometimes”. Coskun (2007), who conducted a study on pre-service social sciences teachers and reached a similar result, stated that giving more place to geographical terms and the techniques related to teaching these terms during the university education of pre-service social sciences teachers and also increasing the number of practices will contribute to solving this problem. In addition, it was stated that guiding pre-service social sciences teachers to buy a geography terms dictionary and providing them with more sources in the field of geography will facilitate the comprehension of these concepts and solving problems related to this field.
When study results are considered in general terms, it is obvious that senior geography department students do not have various prejudgments on the field of geography. It possible to take some precautions to increase the present moderate level of self-efficacy up to a higher level. Among these precautions are, giving more focus on teaching the concept of geography and giving more space to applied courses that show that geography knowledge can be effectively mastered in everyday life. Senior geography department students’ self-efficacy levels regarding the field of geography was aimed at being determined in this study. Similar studies should be conducted on pre-service geography teachers and geography teachers.
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GENİŞ ÖZET
Giriş
Öz-yeterlik bireyin bir işi ya da davranışı gerçekleştirebilmek için gerekli beceri, tutum ve bilgiye sahip olduğu konusundaki inanç durumunu ifade eder (Bandura, 1994). Bireylerin kendi akademik yeteneklerine ilişkin algıları, onların edindikleri bilgi ve becerilerle neler yapabileceklerini belirlemelerine yardımcı olmaktadır.
Bireylerin kendi kapasitelerine ilişkin algılarıysa, onların sahip oldukları bilgi ve becerilerle neleri yapabileceklerine göre şekillenmektedir (Çubukçu ve Girmen, 2005: 420). Öz-yeterliğin, belirli davranışlarla ilişkili olan algılara dayandığı için yapısının özel veya belirli bir alanla ilişkili olduğu düşünülmektedir. Örneğin, birey bir alanda yüksek düzeyde öz-yeterlik algısına sahipken bir diğer alanda düşük düzeyde öz-yeterlik algısına sahip olabilir . Bu nedenle sosyal psikoloji alanında geliştirilmiş olan öz-yeterlik kavramının farklı alanlarda da kullanıldığı görülmektedir (Demiralay ve Karadeniz, 2010). Örneğin, harita öz-yeterlik algısı, internet okuryazarlığı öz-yeterlik algısı, matematik öz-yeterlik algısı vb..
İlgili literatür incelendiğinde coğrafya alanına ilişkin öz yeterlik çalışmalarının sınırlı sayıda yapıldığı görülmektedir. Bu çalışmaların bir kısmı ölçek geliştirme çalışmalarıdır. Karadeniz (2005) tarafından sosyal bilgiler öğretmen adaylarının coğrafya alanına ilişkin öz yeterlik ölçeği geliştirilmiştir. Karadeniz ve Sarı (2011)
48 Aydın, F. & Sağdıç, M. (2016). Department of Geography Senior Students’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs Regarding Geography, International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences, Vol: 7, Issue: 23, pp. (37-49) tarafından yapılan çalışmada da coğrafya öğretimi öz yeterlik ölçeği geliştirilmiştir. Ayrıca farklı coğrafi becerilere ilişkin ölçek geliştirme çalışmaları yapılmaktadır. Öztürk (2008) çalışmasında coğrafya öğretiminde gezi-gözlem tekniğini kullanabilmeye ilişkin öz-yeterlilik ölçeği geliştirmiştir. Bozdoğan ve Öztürk (2008) ise çalışmalarında, coğrafya ile ilişkili fen konularının öğretimine yönelik öz-yeterlilik inanç ölçeğini geliştirmişlerdir.
Coğrafya öz yeterlik çalışmalarının bir kısmı ise sosyal bilgiler öğretmen adaylarına uygulanmıştır. Karadeniz ve Özdemir (2006); sosyal bilgiler öğretmen adaylarının coğrafya alanına ilişkin öz yeterlik araştırmasında, öğretmen adaylarının coğrafya alanına ilişkin olarak kendilerini orta düzeyde yeterli buldukları belirlenmiştir.
Coşkun (2007), Erzurum’daki sosyal bilgiler öğretmen adaylarının coğrafya alanına ilişkin farklı değişkenlere göre öz yeterlik düzeyleri araştırılmış, öğretmen adaylarının öz yeterliklerinin orta düzeyde ve geliştirilebilir olduğu belirlenmiştir. Geçit ve Beldağ (2014) da sosyal bilgiler öğretmenlerinin coğrafya alanına ilişkin öz yeterlik araştırmasında benzer sonuçlara ulaşmıştır. Bu araştırma coğrafya bölümünde pedagojik formasyon eğitimi alan coğrafya öğretmen adaylarının coğrafya alanına yönelik öz yeterlik düzeylerini belirlemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Ayrıca bu çalışmada coğrafya bölümü öğrencilerinin coğrafya öz yeterlik düzeyleri cinsiyet ve öğrenim türü değişkenlerine göre farklılık gösterip göstermediği belirlenmiştir.
Araştırmada bu temel amaç doğrultusunda aşağıdaki sorulara yanıt aranmıştır:
1. Coğrafya bölümü öğrencilerinin coğrafya alanına ilişkin özyeterlik ölçeğindeki maddelere ilişkin görüşleri nelerdir?
2. Coğrafya bölümü öğrencilerinin coğrafya alanına yönelik özyeterlik inançları cinsiyet ve öğrenim türü değişkenlerine göre anlamlı bir farklılık göstermekte midir?
Yöntem
Coğrafya bölümü son sınıf öğrencilerinin coğrafya alanına yönelik öz-yeterlik seviyelerini belirlemek amacıyla yapılan bu araştırma, geçmişte ya da halen var olan bir durumu var olduğu şekliyle betimlemeyi amaçlayan tarama modelindedir. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu 2014–2015 öğretim yılı güz döneminde, Karabük Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Coğrafya Bölümünde öğrenimine devam eden son sınıf öğrencileri (n=90) oluşturmuştur. Örneklem seçiminde kolay ulaşabilirlik yöntemi uygulanmıştır. Araştırma verilerinin toplanmasında “Coğrafya Alanına İlişkin Öz Yeterlik Ölçeği” kullanılmıştır. Karadeniz (2005) tarafından geliştirilen ölçek üç alt boyuttan meydana gelmektedir. Coğrafyayı yaşam becerilerine dönüştürebilme adlı faktörde yer alan maddelerin birinci faktörde verdikleri faktör yüklerinin 0,54 ve üzeri, madde toplam korelasyonlarının da 0,42 ve üzeri olduğu görülmektedir. Coğrafi benlik algısı adlı faktörde yer alan maddelerin madde toplam korelasyonları incelendiğinde, korelasyon katsayılarının 0,52 ile 0,59 arasında değiştiği görülmektedir. Ayrıca, maddelerin bu faktördeki yük dağılımları da 0,49 ile 0,76 arasında değişmektedir.
Coğrafya alanında davranışlarda farkındalık faktöründe yer alan maddelerin madde toplam korelasyonları 0,20 ile 0,47 arasında, maddelerin faktör yük dağılımı ise 0,43 ile 0,83 arasında değişmektedir. Ölçeğin güvenirliğini belirlemek üzere kullanılan Cronbach alfa iç tutarlık katsayısı 0,80’dir (Karadeniz, 2005). Uygulama gönüllülük esası dikkate alınarak yaklaşık 10 dakikada gerçekleşmiştir. Coğrafya bölümü öğrencilerinin coğrafya alanına yönelik öz yeterlik ölçeği puanlarının analizinde frekans, yüzde, aritmetik ortalama ve standart sapma değerleri kullanılmıştır. Coğrafya bölümü öğrencilerinin coğrafya alanına yönelik öz yeterliliklerinin “cinsiyet” ve “öğrenim
49 Aydın, F. & Sağdıç, M. (2016). Department of Geography Senior Students’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs Regarding Geography, International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences, Vol: 7, Issue: 23, pp. (37-49) türü” değişkenlerine göre anlamlı farklılık gösterip göstermediği “Bağımsız Örneklemler İçin t-testi” ile belirlenmiştir.
Sonuç ve Tartışma
Bu araştırmadan elde edilen sonuçlara göre, coğrafya bölümü son sınıf öğrencilerinin coğrafya alanına yönelik öz-yeterlik puanlarının orta düzeyde olduğu belirlenmiştir. Bu sonuç coğrafya alanına yönelik öz yeterlik çalışmalarının sonuçlarıyla örtüşmektedir. Geçit ve Beldağ (2014)’ın Rize ilinde görev yapan 54 sosyal bilgiler öğretmeninin katıldığı çalışmasında, Bahtiyar Karadeniz (2011)’in Ordu ilinde görev yapan 164 öğretmene uyguladığı araştırmasında, Karadeniz ve Özdemir (2006)’in Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesinde 184 adet öğretmen adayı üzerinde yaptığı çalışmada ve Coşkun (2007)’un Erzurum’daki 158 öğretmen adayı üzerinde yaptığı araştırmada, katılımcıların coğrafya öz yeterlilik inançlarının “orta” düzeyde olduğu tespit edilmiştir.
Coğrafya bölümü son sınıf öğrencilerinin cinsiyetlerine göre coğrafya alanına yönelik öz-yeterlik seviyelerine ilişkin algıları, istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark oluşturduğu belirlenmiştir. Benzer bir sonuç Coşkun’un (2007) çalışmasında erkek öğretmen adaylarının daha yüksek öz-yeterlik algısına sahip oldukları görülmüştür. Bu durum ise erkek öğretmen adayların bu alandaki özgüvenlerinin daha yüksek oluşuna ya da bayan öğretmen adayların özellikle ölçekteki geniş içerikli bazı maddelere karşı daha şüpheci yaklaşmasına dayandırılmıştır.
Akengin ve diğerleri (2010) çalışmasında kız öğrenciler lehine anlamlı bir farklılık tespit etmiş, bu durum ise kız öğrencilerin bu mesleğe yönelik daha pozitif tutum içinde olmalarıyla ilişkilendirilmiştir. Buna karşılık Geçit ve Beldağ (2014), Bahtiyar Karadeniz’in (2011) çalışmalarında da Öğretmenlerin cinsiyetlerine göre coğrafya alanına yönelik öz-yeterlik seviyelerine ilişkin algıları hem ölçeğin geneli hem de alt boyutlar için istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark oluşturmadığı belirlenmiştir.
Bu araştırmada ayrıca, öğrenim türünün coğrafya bölümü son sınıf öğrencilerinin coğrafya alanına yönelik öz yeterlik seviyelerinde anlamlı bir farklılaşma oluşturup oluşturmadığı da incelenmiş ve öğrencilerin coğrafya alanına yönelik öz yeterlik seviyelerinde öğrenim türüne göre anlamlı bir farklılaşma görülmediği belirlenmiştir.
Her iki gruptaki coğrafya bölümü son sınıf öğrencilerini denk sayılabilecek öz yeterlik seviyelerinde olduğunu ifade etmek mümkündür. Coşkun (2007) tarafından yapılan araştırmada da benzer bir bulguya ulaşılmıştır.
Araştırma sonuçları genel olarak değerlendirildiğinde, coğrafya bölümü son sınıf öğrencilerinin coğrafya alanına yönelik çeşitli önyargılar içinde olmadığı görülmektedir. Mevcut öz yeterlik seviyesini orta düzeyden üst düzeye çıkarabilmek için bazı önlemler almak mümkündür. Söz konusu bu tip önlemler arasında, coğrafyada kavram öğretimi üzerinde daha fazla durulması ve coğrafya bilgilerinin günlük yaşamda etkin olarak kullanabileceğini gösteren uygulamalı derslere daha fazla yer verilmesini saymak mümkündür. Bu araştırmada sadece coğrafya bölümü son sınıf öğrencilerinin coğrafya alanına yönelik öz yeterlikleri tespit edilmeye çalışılmıştır. Benzer çalışmalar coğrafya öğretmen adaylarına, coğrafya öğretmenlerine de uygulanmalıdır.
